USC set to hire Wisconsin general manager

USC is set to hire Wisconsin general manager Max Stienecker to its growing personnel department, a source tells On3. He follows former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden out to Los Angeles and will be the executive director of player personnel.

Stienecker was the youngest general manager in the Power Four this year, rising to the title after two seasons as the director of player personnel for the Badgers. Viewed as one of the rising stars in the college football personnel world, he followed Luke Fickell from Cincinnati to Wisconsin.

A 2021 Cincinnati graduate, he’s played a key piece in Wisconsin’s early recruiting success. The Badgers are ranked No. 26 in the 2025 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, headlined by four-star linebacker Mason Posa and offensive lineman Hardy Watts.

Wisconsin has also found success in the transfer portal, headlined by the offseason addition of Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards, Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol and Miami cornerback D’yoni Hill.

USC hired Bowden in late January. He was the program’s architect, achieving three top-11 recruiting classes from 2022-2024, a mark the Irish had not attained since 2006-08. Bowden helped the Irish assemble a transfer portal class of eight players this winter.

Stienecker and Bowden crossed paths at Cincinnati under Fickell. When Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman accepted the Fighting Irish defensive coordinator position in 2021, he brought Bowden with him.

“Chad is the perfect fit to help us build and sustain a championship-level football program in the new era of college athletics,” USC athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement. “His work and expertise will be essential in the construction and management of our roster, the elevation of our robust NIL program and the organization of our entire football operations.”

Lincoln Riley opens his fourth season at USC on Aug. 30 against Missouri State.